Conventionally, braces use brackets connected by wires to encourage teeth to move but more people are having success with clear orthodontic devices called aligners which are a series of tight-fitting custom-made retainers that slip over the teeth. Once a dentist or orthodontist decides how to correct a patient's bite, they make a plan for moving teeth. Patients are then fitted for several versions that make slight adjustments to move the teeth over the treatment time. Aligners made from a clear plastic or acrylic material and fit tightly over the teeth, but can be removed for eating, brushing, and flossing. Patients wear a new aligner every few weeks to continue moving the teeth into the desired position.
Treatment time with invisible teeth aligners is based on how much the teeth need to be moved or rotated. The more the patient bite is off or the more crooked the teeth, the longer it will take. Treatment usually takes between 10 and 24 months. An adult who had braces as a child may need teeth aligners for as little as 10 weeks.
Conventional aligners are typically fabricated at a central lab remote from the dental offices and such systems cause delays and fail to offer real-time, instant treatment for patients. Moreover, the manufacturing of the aligners are time-consuming and require multiple steps in fabricating the molds used to create the aligners as well as the aligners themselves.
Therefore, there remains a need for cost-effective systems which enable the modeling and fabrication of the molds and aligners directly at the dental office locations for providing real-time, instant treatment.